Chapter 11

Sayoko had resumed her Sabrina form and went normally for a while. Lelouch was regretting not adding one more thing to his terms; even if no one could see them, it was still degrading to have to wear those retarded aprons. Still, it's a good feeling having ties again with the outside world. I'm not totally a secret. Although, it might come to bite me in the back later... Oh well, it's not something to think about now. He was happily tossing pizza dough in the air, spinning it to stretch it. He preferred the fun way over the rolling pin.

C.C. was delivering a pizza to the customers who ordered it, so he was alone for a moment. He never liked being alone like this. He was living apart from the world for crying out loud. Yet, he wasn't totally alone. He always had C.C., and Suzaku knew ever since he slayed him, but now he knew that Sayoko, someone he could trust, knew he was alive. Yes, it was good to be alive. He still regretted being dead in the eyes of the world. What an empty feeling, like an outcast. This must have been what C.C. felt from the start. Even before she got her power, she was treated like an animal as a slave girl. He thought of what her master was like through the images he saw in her mind, grimacing. "What scum..." he said aloud, without knowing it. C.C. walked in that very moment.

"Who are you degrading now?" Lelouch looked up from his deep thoughts and jumped. He didn't mean to let anyone in on it.

"Oh, it's nothing. You needn't worry." C.C. gave him a funny look, and decided to put it off 'til later. Now was not the time to talk about such things; they were working.

"If you say so." She grabbed the next order and started to make it, laying flour over a strip of wax paper and dumping a plop of dough on it. "Ya know, if there's something else troubling you, you can always tell me. It's not like there's anyone else you can tell."

"No, really, it's nothing. I'm fine." She still wasn't convinced. She stopped her rolling of the dough and hugged him unexpectedly.

"C.C., come on, we're at work. What if someone sees us?" At that very moment, Mr. Misa peeked through the order window with another strip of paper, and, seeing that C.C. was kissing Lelouch on the lips, he quickly backed out without saying a word. Hmm, so that's how it is in their family. he thought, shuddering a bit.

That night, Lelouch flopped down on his bed. C.C. hung up their frilly pink aprons and sat next to him. After a bit, she got up. "I'm gonna shower. There's flour in my shirt in places it shouldn't be." She smiled and made for the door.

"C.C., would hurry with it? There's something I want to discuss with you." Lelouch said without moving his body. C.C. looked puzzled, but went on anyway. What could he possibly want this time? He's always so mysterious. It baffles me, but somehow attracts me at the same time. She blushed a bit. Perhaps it has to do with how he was acting at work. He solved the problem with Sabrina, now known as Sayoko, so I figured he would be fine. He doesn't look stressed, but then again, it's hard to read him sometimes. She sighed. What's going on in his mind? She was becoming stressed herself over his well-being. It was spreading from him like a virus. But, in a way, she liked it. She like how she was involved in anything Lelouch was involved in. There was something about his nature that appealed to her, as well as Lelouch himself. It wasn't just his love for her, but the way he was around her. Sometimes, he was open, most of the time he was open, but occasionally he would shut himself up from everyone else and carry his own burdens. Only this time, he was mixing the two. Time played the factor in distinguishing the shift.

She turned off the refreshing flow of water and dried and dressed herself. When she left the room, he was in the exact same position he was in before she left. He hadn't moved a muscle. "Lelouch, are you asleep?"

"No. Just a bit tired."

"Oh." He seemed very depressed at the moment, but all the same C.C. liked it. There was nothing to not like about good 'ole Lulu. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

Lelouch finally shifted, sitting up on the bed. He didn't look at her. "Do you think that there should be more to life than just living together, that we should do something other than just this daily routine?"

C.C. gave him a funny look. "Of course. There will be times when we get days off and we could go do things together. We could go to the museum or go have fun at various places like a carnival of a fair, of maybe even go out to dinner sometimes. We could go-"

"No, C.C., I mean do something significant with our lives." C.C. again gave him another funny look.

"Lelouch, you've already conquered an entire empire! You've destroyed the hold Britania had on Japan! What more could you want?"

"Well, for starters, you're wrong about one thing. I did not conquer an entire empire. We did, along with help from the Black Knights. Second, I think that there is a greater goal to be accomplished, something greater than simply conquering Britania." C.C. was puzzled. What could be more significant than destroying an empire? He's in way over his head again. But hey, who are you talking about again? Lelouch Lamprouge, the one who masterminded the destruction of Britania and his father. A mere school boy...

"So, what do you propose, oh great Lelouch?" Lelouch looked up at her with serious, piercing eyes.

"The destruction of the power of Geass."